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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26824114">A I R E | Book 1: Water</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GyffinclawPirate/pseuds/GyffinclawPirate'>GyffinclawPirate</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Aire [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/F, F/M, Gen, My First Work in This Fandom, Other, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow To Update</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:15:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,409</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26824114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GyffinclawPirate/pseuds/GyffinclawPirate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>To let go of all you love may seem like an impossible task to ask of someone. Unfortunately for Aria, it wasn't a question.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang/Katara (Avatar), Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Aire [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue: A New Hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first story and english isn't my first language, so any criticism and opinion is allowed so long it is constructive &lt;3. <br/>Happy reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>——————-</p>
<p><b>Komorebi<br/></b>[ko-mo-re-be] Japanese<br/>(n.) Sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees.</p>
<p> ———————</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Water. </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Earth.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Fire.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Air.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.</p>
<p>Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.</p>
<p>Only the Avatar, Master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.</p>
<p>A hundred years passed, and hope for a new Avatar has left even the most avid of his followers. The Fire Nation, fuelled by greed and pride, expanded their war to the entire world, claiming more colonies each day and getting rid of those who opposed them.</p>
<p>Kristala Tapu was a young city in an isle southeast to the Fire Nation, faithful to the Avatar and believers of the Spirits, built from the ground up by earth benders and water benders alike. It became the second conquest of Fire Lord Azulon.</p>
<p>Colonized and defeated, the people were forced to give up their culture and traditions. Benders were taken from their homes, only to never be seen again and, eventually, became but whispers of the past in the fading memories of the elders of the island.</p>
<p>Decades passed and Kristala Tapu had lost its hope, becoming one with the Fire Nation, the colonizers and the natives turned into partners in creating a rich city, full of diversity and progress, but they were never equal. </p>
<p>On a small mountain in the centre of the island, a battered-looking woman sought help from the guardians of the last Avatar temple remaining in Kristala Tapu- she was about to give birth.</p>
<p>So, they helped.</p>
<p>As dawn came closer and glimpses of the red sun could be seen on the horizon, the woman grew weaker from the efforts of childbirth. It took an hour before life escaped her eyes. The temple felt cold as the healers tried their best to deliver the baby despite the mother’s passing.</p>
<p>All that could be heard as they worked was the deafening sound of silence that accompanied death.</p>
<p>At daybreak, as the warm rays of the sun grazed the temple, a baby girl was finally delivered- lifeless, as the silence continued to fill the temple hallways. Heavy with grief, the guardians left one by one the room.</p>
<p>The child was placed beside her mother’ corpse as the last healer left.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sunlight entered the room, and a white glowing creature materialized from thin air- a winged fox. It sneaked around the room as if looking for something, its big ears pointed towards the door wary of the living humans nearby. As it sniffed the air, it abruptly came to a halt and turned towards the bed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> ...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The guardians and healers in the hallways were at a loss, grieving the lives of the unknown mother and child that had been taken early by the spirits, when loud cries broke the silence of the temple, and they rushed back to the delivery room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b><br/><br/>A new hope was born.<br/></b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I. The Seishin Temple</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi again, here's the first official chapter! I'm excited about this story and, once again, constructivve criticism is welcome ;)<br/>Happy reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Seishin Temple during the day was a place many would describe as harmonious. With master and trainee Guardians meditating, training or just relaxing and enjoying their days. For decades, it has been known for being a place of spiritual serenity where one can go to find some peace and quiet to meditate and find a connection to the spirits of their deceased loved ones.</p>
<p>In a patio, a group of 10 children could be found practicing what seemed to be a dance- or at least that’s what they claimed it to be if any Fire Nation soldier asked. With every beat of the drum they changed stances, from sharp and swift movements of their legs and arms (that could be dangerous if someone were to approach) to relaxed flowing movements that mirrored waves of the sea.</p>
<p>The master guardian watching over the children called attention.</p>
<p>“Alright, that is enough for today. You are improving every day, and I can already see many of you are close to being ready for your travels. Well done. Class dismissed” the children bowed to their master and soon the master Guardian was the only one standing in the patio.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meanwhile, a peculiar pair of trainees were running through the temple corridors.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Come on, Aria! We’re already late as it is!” The young boy hissed to his friend as he hurried down the hallway leading to the patio.</p>
<p>“Oh, you shouldn’t worry, Kiran. It’s your birthday! Surely Master Yangtso will be okay with you being a little late, especially since we brought some fruit pie back!” his friend replied with a carefree smile, not even bothering to hurry her pace to catch up with him.</p>
<p>Kiran looked at her with exasperation, blue eyes expressive as ever, “How come you’re so relaxed? We’re <em>so </em>going to get punished for being late!” he began mumbling about all the possible things their master would have them do as a punishment.</p>
<p>“-and maybe he will make us deal with the Fire Nation inspectors this afternoon! I don’t think I can handle talking to a Fire Nation soldier without annoying them. What is they burn me for being annoying? I’m too young for battle wounds!” he continued his ranting while Aria just looked at her best friend’s distress with mirth.</p>
<p>Someone cleared their throat behind them and they both froze, slowly turning around to find their master staring at them with a stern expression.</p>
<p>“Well, that is an interesting suggestion for punishment, Kiran. I shall take it into consideration for you two.”</p>
<p>Now <em>that</em> wiped the amusement out of Aria’s face.</p>
<p>“Yangtso! I-I mean Master Yangtso. Funny to find you here. You see, Kiran and I were just coming back from the kitchens since it’s his birthday. Here! We brought you some fruit pie! Sorry we were a little late to class.” Aria tried to explain with a nervous smile while Kiran was just frozen in fear.</p>
<p>Yangtso raised an eyebrow at her. “A little late? You two realize that the session has already ended.”</p>
<p>Kiran was wishing for the ground to swallow him up and spit him out all the way to the Nothern Water Tribe, were he would feel a lot safer than under his master’s fixed look. Meanwhile, Aria was figuring out how to save their skins.</p>
<p>Seeing as neither of them knew how to answer to him he sighed and continued, “Well, seeing as you two don’t have a justifiable excuse to give me for your abssence, I will go with Kiran’s punishment and you will be in charge of showing around the inspector later today. Now if you’ll excuse me.” He turned around and began walking away.</p>
<p>“What?! Wait, Master Yangtso!” Kiran hurried in front of him to stop him. “Please let us explain. I can assure you there’s a perfectly reasonable excuse as to why we were absent.”</p>
<p>Master Yangtso waited for him to corroborate.  </p>
<p>Kiran swallowed the lump in his throat and stood with his back straight and looked at him, face stern but his eyes telling a whole different story, “As Aria said, we were stuck in the kitchen making fruit pie, a-and I know fruit pie is not a good reason to be absent to session, but when we were finishing up, master Chunghua asked us to make some for her and her apprentice, and then Osamu also arrived to ask for fruit pie for him and his girlfriend, but then the little trainees arrived and-“</p>
<p>“We were making fruit pie because it’s his birthday.” Aria cut off her friend’s rambling calmly. “Usually, we would not have gotten carried away, but a sixteenth birthday should be special, don’t you think so, master? After all, it means that in the next few weeks Kiran will begin his nomadic journey, we- <em>I</em> wanted him to enjoy himself in the temple a little before leaving. I’m sorry we were late, master. It won’t happen again.” She finished with a bow which Kiran followed.</p>
<p>Yangtso regarded his oldest apprentices.</p>
<p>“Rise, young ones”, he told them.</p>
<p>He contemplated the girl he’d seen grown up the las decade. Her brown skin contrasted with her curly white hair. She was strong for her age, but then again, most kids at the Seishin Temple were due to their training. But what she stood out for the most were her sea-green eyes, not because of their colour, but because when you looked at them you could feel as though she had you figured out. Her eyes seemed to hold secrets of all kinds, a sea of mystery and wisdom, and yet- they offered a feeling of honesty and reliability.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Kiran was almost the complete opposite. The boy, just like his dad, wore his heart on his sleeve, and despite being able to mask his feelings by gestures and expressions, his eyes always gave him away. Anyone could tell he had Water Tribe Ancestry just by looking at his pale blue eyes and his dark skin, which were giving away the nervousness he felt at the moment. They were the windows to the soul- quite literally in his case.</p>
<p><em>An interesting contrast</em>, he thought.</p>
<p>“Uh, we also brought you some fruit pie. I know how you’ve always liked it.” Aria snapped him out of his thoughts as she offered him the fruit pie with a hesitant smile.</p>
<p>Yangtso took it from her hands and he hummed, dragging the time for his response to let the teenager suffer a bit more.</p>
<p>“I… suppose I could give you some other punishment” The tension left their shoulders with relief.</p>
<p>“You will oversee the group’s grocery shopping of this week. The list and money are in the common room and you have until tomorrow to go to the village to buy everything.”</p>
<p>Kiran’s eyes brightened up, but he maintained his face serious. “Right. Thank you, Master. We will get right to it as soon as we’re done with our courses today.” Both teenagers bowed and the master nodded at them as he continued his path down the hallway.</p>
<p>Both teenagers were about to take off running the opposite direction, but they stopped and turned around when Yangtso addressed them.</p>
<p>“Oh, and Kiran?” said boy tensed again.</p>
<p>The master turned his neck to look at him. “Happy birthday” he smiled gently.</p>
<p>Kiran grinned with relief and bowed again. “Thank you, Master.”</p>
<p>“Aria make sure that he enjoys himself properly these next few days. We wouldn’t want him to remember a boring temple during his journey, would we?”</p>
<p>She smiled and bowed “Of course, Master”</p>
<p>With that, he left.</p>
<p>As he disappeared down the hallway, Aria turned to Kiran with a grin, “Told ya he was a foodie.”</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes “Whatever.”</p>
<p>She chuckled, “Let’s go. You wouldn’t want to be late to our meditation session with Master Ama as well, would you?”</p>
<p>Kiran paled at the thought of another confrontation like the one they’d just had with Master Yangtso. “Definitely not.” He grabbed her wrist and ran towards the meditation patio, Aria laughing behind him all the way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. II. Guardian of the Spirits</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As I said this story might have slow updates, sorry about that! Uni has been tougher since the lockdown started so I'm trying to not stay too long in front of my laptop. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter! Happy reading ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Seishin Guardians were not religious. Their order consisted of self-discovery and finding peace within ourselves, our surroundings and beyond. However, what they were famous for and intimidated some outsiders was their connection to the Spirit World. There were rumours of Guardians who could speak to the dead and completed their deeds in the living world, or Guardians who would sacrifice dead children to the Spirits to achieve immortality. The list went on, and each rumour got more morbid than the last one.</p>
<p>If anyone asked Aria what was so great about the Guardians, she wouldn’t even mention the Spirits. Yes, they shared a special connection to the Spirit World and were able to summon some deities, but what she believed was what made them unique was that, despite not being related by blood, every member was part of one big family. The Guardians taught the children meditation, arts, history, and many other things that would help them understand themselves and their world a bit better. Each Guardian and trainee took a part of everyone else’s journey of self-discovery. Every member’s beliefs were respected and should anyone need help with anything there was always someone available to offer their guidance.</p>
<p>She remembered Master Yangtso’s words when she would question the need of a martial arts course.</p>
<p>
  <em>“But aren’t we supposed to be peaceful before anything else?” she asked her master.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“Well, yes. Violence is never the answer. But to understand better our opponents and those who may believe that it </em>is <em>an answer, we must empathize with their abilities. Just like when we try to understand the Spirit world, every Guardian must have a deeper understanding of the Human world beforehand… and a little self-defence never hurt anyone” he chuckled and she beamed at him.</em></p>
<p>Peace, empathy, and wisdom. Those were the chore values of the Seishin Guardians and they were deeply rooted in Aria’s mind. After all, she was born and raised within the walls of the Temple. These people <em>were </em>her only family.</p>
<p>The common room of the Yangtso clan wasn’t that different from other clan’s. Carpets decorated the floor with pillows for the trainees to sit on and rest. This is the room Aria and Kiran spent most of their childhood in playing pai sho and elaborating plans for their best pranks. As they came in the room through the arched entrance, Aria was reminded that her best friend would part for his journey soon. Every apprentice goes on a journey around the world when they turn 16. The journey lasts however long each person takes to find themselves- whatever that meant, since Aria never really got what looking at one is self implied.</p>
<p>She has had may discussions with Osamu and Kiran about this journey and she still couldn’t grasp the concept. She became sad at the thought of another one of her friends leaving her. She didn’t want all these memories to become- well, just memories.</p>
<p>Of course, Kiran noticed the change of her mood.</p>
<p>“Hey, what’s wrong? You look like Osamu when he was with fever and we gave him incense instead of his pipe.” This made her chuckle at the memory of their Guardian friend.</p>
<p>“He should have seen it coming. We were like 9 years old, what did he expect? That we grinded his herbs as well?”</p>
<p>Kiran smirked, “Well, you gotta admit that you <em>have</em> gotten pretty good at preparing them lately.”</p>
<p>“Hey, they’re good for stress! And it’s not like I smoke them every day. After a while you begin hearing talking mushrooms and it gets pretty annoying.”</p>
<p>Kira snorted “Whatever. I just never understood why you guys were into that stuff. It makes me fell all dizzy.” He dismissed. “Now, stop distracting me, I asked you a question.”</p>
<p>Aria sighed. <em>Of course he wouldn’t let it go</em>. “It’s just- the common room…” she said while looking around at the other trainees hanging out.</p>
<p>Kiran looked around as well not seeing anything wrong with it. “Yeah, what about it?” he asked her to elaborate.</p>
<p>“I just- It won’t be the same next week.” She frowned as her shoulders slumped.</p>
<p>Kiran pursed his lips. He remembers when Osamu left them for his Nomadic journey a few years back. Aria was so down the first few months without him, and it made the temple feel so different. Her and Osamu were the only orphans at the temple, and they had formed a deep bond over their time living there. While Osamu was gone, Kiran and Aria became even closer, as they became each other’s confidants and partners in crime, which helped the girl take her mind off her missing friend. Kiran did not want to be the cause of his friend’s sadness.</p>
<p>“Hey, it’s not like I’m leaving forever.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Who knows? Maybe my journey will only be a couple days long. You know that no matter what we always end up back together.”</p>
<p>That seemed to do the trick because Aria’s mood seemed to lift a bit as her lips pulled into a small smile. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just overthinking the whole thing.” She shook her head. “And anyway, with this attitude I’ll never be able to become a Guardian. I need to learn to let go of attachement…”</p>
<p>Kiran chuckled at Aria’s focused face. The way she would scrunch up her nose and furrow her eyebrows was adorable. “<em>I’m not adorable, you should fear me! I know 20 different ways to kill you with a chirirenge.” </em>She would threaten, which honestly made her look even less dangerous.</p>
<p>He sighed and came out of his memories. He knew he would miss her. They were family, after all. Ever since he was 6 and his parents seeked for the Guardians to help him with his bending, she had looked out for the shy boy. Her and Osamu were his second family. But, as Aria said, if he wanted to become a Master Guardian some day he would need to learn to let go of those he loved.</p>
<p>He cleared his throat before he could get choked up and ruffled the girl’s white curls to snap her out of her thinking, which made her scowl at him.</p>
<p>“Enough sulking, grandma. Let’s get changed and tell Master Yangtso we’re leaving.” He quickly left with a smirk as she followed calling him some not-so-nice names a regular 15-year-old wouldn’t usually know.</p>
<p>
  <em>Yeah, he’d miss this.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>------</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’re heading to the village now, Master!”</p>
<p>They had changed from their usual blue-purple trainee robes. Now they wore red cloaks, and underneath them could be caught glimpses of the under layers of their usual clothing. Their customary Guardian cuffs around their wrists.</p>
<p>Over decades ago, after the Fire Nation first colonized Kristali Tapu, they got rid of many parts of their culture. When they heard of a temple dedicated to the Avatar, they almost burnt the whole building down, but as the Guardians of those days warned that doing so would anger the spirits and they might seek revenge against the men and their nation, which scared the soldiers.</p>
<p>Imagine being the idiot who angered the spirits and put at risk the so-called progress of their whole nation just because they didn’t like a few people who celebrated the life of the deceased Avatar.</p>
<p>So, they made a deal. The Guardians would be able to exercise their spirituality so long as they kept it inside the temple, and they got rid of any sign of praise to the Avatar in the temple, otherwise they’d ban their practices. Many did not like that, but they had no other choice but to accept the deal. And, to make sure the Guardians didn’t pose a threat, all benders on the island were killed by the Fire Nation.  </p>
<p>Ever since that that day, whenever a child showed any signs of bending parents would either: a) leave them for dead on the streets, not wanting to get harmed by Fire Nation soldiers, or b) bring them to the Seishin Temple. It was an open secret between the villagers that the Guardians of the Spirits were not ones to turn away from people in need, so they raised bender and non-bender children alike. Anyone was welcome, so long as they had a pure heart and weren’t looking for trouble.</p>
<p>Master Yangtso looked to the teens from his spot of the balcony. He looked at Aria as she fidgeted with her cloak and Kiran helping her hide the purple under-robes.</p>
<p>
  <em>Was it a good idea to send those two grocery shopping by themselves?</em>
</p>
<p>“Alright.” He sighed tiredly. “Be careful and take care of each other, okay? And do <em>not </em>get in trouble.”</p>
<p>“Understood, Master. I’ll make sure Kiran doesn’t throw any banana juice on Fire Nation soldiers this time.” The white-haired girls said with a teasing smile as she bowed to her master.</p>
<p>“Hey! That was one time! Spirirts! You always bring that up- “</p>
<p> He cut off the boy before he began with his rambling, “Just be careful, you two. The inspector is coming this afternoon and we don’t need any mishaps today, okay? Now, off to your duties. Be back when you must.”</p>
<p>“So, it goes, Master.” They chorused as they bowed.</p>
<p>“So, it goes.” He echoed, as he was alone in his office once again.</p>
<p>Silence enveloped him and he closed his eyes to meditate.</p>
<p>
  <em>He had a bad feeling about this.</em>
</p>
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